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Boris Johnson seeks to lure French from 'tyranny'

Kitty Donaldson and Svenja O'Donnell

Mayor of London Boris Johnson speaks at a rally at the Conservative Party conference in Birmingham. Photo: Getty Images

London's mayor, Boris Johnson, has sought to woo talented French immigrants to the British capital and away from the "tyranny" they are suffering under Socialist President Francois Hollande, who has raised taxes on the rich.

Speaking to a rally of Conservative Party members at the Tories' annual conference in Birmingham today, Mr Johnson invoked the opening line of the French national anthem: "Allons enfants de la patrie," which translates as, "Let us go, children of the fatherland."

Not since 1789 has there been such tyranny in France

"We say to the people, not since 1789 has there been such tyranny in France," Mr Johnson joked, referring to the French revolution. "I am very keen to welcome talented French people to London.''

He noted there are already 240,000 French nationals in the capital.

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In June, Prime Minister David Cameron triggered a war of words with France by vowing to "roll out the red carpet" for French companies if Mr Hollande followed through on his election pledge to tax the wealthy.

In its 2013 budget last month, Mr Hollande's government announced €20 billion ($25.6 billion) in tax increases, including a 75 per cent levy on incomes over 1 million euros, and the elimination of limits on the wealth tax.

Mr Johnson arrived in Birmingham amid continued speculation about whether he intends to challenge Mr Cameron for the Conservative leadership if the Prime Minister fails to secure a majority at the next general election due in 2015.

Buoyed by re-election in May and the success of the London Olympics in August, the mayor has increasingly been touted by Tory activists as a possible successor to Mr Cameron, whose poll ratings have fallen.

Mr Johnson, who has criticised government policy in areas such as welfare, has repeatedly failed to rule himself out as a future Tory leader. In a bid to quell doubts over his loyalty to the Prime Minister, he paid tribute to Mr Cameron.

"No one should have any cause to doubt my admiration for David Cameron," Mr Johnson said. "In tough circumstances, he and [Chancellor] George Osborne and the rest of the government are doing exactly what's needed for this country to clear up the mess that Labour left" when it was ousted from power in 2010, leaving a record budget deficit.

A survey of Tory members for the ConservativeHome website found that Mr Johnson had a net satisfaction rating of plus 91, higher than any cabinet minister. Mr Cameron's was only just positive, at plus one.

Asked at today's rally about his formula for ensuring the Conservatives beat Labour in the next election in 2015, Mr Johnson said the Tories have to "locate ourselves squarely in the centre ground of UK politics".

He said he has no "magic prescriptions for winning elections except keep bashing the Labour Party", which he described as "barely reformed Marxists".

Mr Johnson "is clearly trying to establish himself as the man the Tories have to turn to when the present leadership is seen to have failed", his biographer, Andrew Gimson, said.